The Government of Maharashtra has ‘sealed’ the fate of the main barrage of Pranhita-Chevella lift irrigation project originally proposed with 152-meter full reservoir level (FRL) at Tummidi-Hatti village, even as the Opposition parties in Telangana, including Congress and Telugu Desam Party have stepped-up their criticism against the State Government plans to change the project design.
At a recent meeting convened by Union Water Resources Ministry in New Delhi, Maharashtra Minister for Water Resources G.D. Mahajan was understood to have made it clear that they would not agree for the Pranahita-Chevella main barrage planned by Telangana at 152-meter FRL at any cost as it would submerge a sizeable extent of fertile lands in its territory. However, they were not against the barrage with 148-meter FRL as it would bring down the submergence areas to a nominal extent.
Official sources in the Irrigation Department of Telangana stated that the Maharashtra Government’s stand was in tune with the ruling BJP’s pre-poll promise against allowing the barraged planned by Telangana with 152-meter FRL. “It leaves us (Telangana) with no other choice but to change the design of the project,” the sources said.
The State Government has already asked Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Ltd – WAPCOS to prepare a report with changes in the project design and it is expected to submit the final report next month.
The government is mulling construction of main barrage at Medigadda in Karimnagar district, 20 km downstream Kaleshwaram, at the confluence place of Pranahita with Godavari river.
Shot in the arm for TRSMaharashtra’s stand comes as a shot in the arm to the TRS Government to go ahead with its plans of change in the design of the Pranahita-Chevella project.
Minister for Irrigation T. Harish Rao has gone on record umpteen times questioning the Congress as to why it had failed to get the clearance for the main barrage with 152-meter FRL for long since the party headed the governments at Centre, Maharashtra and in combined Andhra Pradesh, till May last year.
R. Vidyasagar Rao, Advisor to the State Government on Irrigation, pointed out that the Central Water Commission (CWC) has revised availability of water at Tummidi-Hatti at about 165 tmcft against 273 tmcft assessed in the past. The reduced availability would allow lifting of only 140 tmcft in less than 90 days even if the barrage was constructed with 152-meter FRL, he stated.
In contrast, the sources stated that a barrage at Medigadda would make available over 165 tmcft water for a period spreading over 120 days and the storage capacity would be more than 10 tmcft against 5 tmcft at Tummidi-Hatti with 152-meter FRL.
